1 inmate still missing after 7 escape Missouri jail

CASSVILLE, Mo. (KY3/Gray News) - Police in Barry County are searching for an inmate who escaped the county jail Thursday night.

According to Barry County Sheriff Danny Boyd, seven inmates escaped the jail a little before 11:30 p.m. Thursday after assaulting the two correctional officers.

Boyd said about 15 minutes after the escape, three of the inmates were caught.

Two more of the inmates were captured and returned to the Barry County Jail at 6:50 a.m., and another one was captured at 8 a.m. by law enforcement. Mario Che-Tiul is still missing.

Boyd said the Missouri Highway Patrol is currently assisting with the search by using a helicopter. The U.S. Marshall Service is also on the way to help look for the inmates.

Che-Tuil was being held on molestation and incest charges; he was booked into the jail last December.

Boyd earlier said that law enforcement began searching on the south side of town, but he believes that the inmates were picked up by someone helping them escape. The inmates stole clothing from the jail property room and Che-Tuil will not be in prisoners’ clothing if seen in public.

The sheriff said Che-Tuil is considered armed and dangerous. Those who see him should not approach them. Instead, immediately call 911.

He encourages everyone in the area to keep their doors to their homes and vehicles locked at all times.

The sheriff said the jailers received medical treatment and were released.

The escape comes almost a year to the day since three inmates escaped from the Barry County Jail.

On June 3, 2022, Lance Justin Stephens, Matthew Allen Crawford, and Christopher Allen Blevins cut through a ceiling and got out of jail.

Crawford was captured in a Springfield, Missouri, neighborhood. Police in Mills, Wyoming, captured Blevins four days later, and law enforcement captured Stephens in the San Antonio area 11 days later.

Copyright 2023 KY3 via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.